The prevalence of high blood pressure as one of cardiovascular risk factors among women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

Background Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the commonest endocrinopathy diagnosed among women mainly at reproductive age. For the first time it was described by Stein and Leventhal in 1935 and defined by two of the three findings: irregular menses (oligo-/amenorrhoea), hyperandrogenism or polycystic ovaries appearance on ultrasound, provided that other causes of androgen excess and dysovulation are excluded. PCOS is very often associated with infertility, endometrium cancer, obesity, insulin resistance, impaired glucose metabolism, higher risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, impaired lipid profile, mental illnesses and non-alcoholic liver steatosis. The presence of some of mentioned conditions may exacerbate the risk of cardiovascular events in women with PCOS [1, 2]. The main goal of our study was to assess the frequency of hypertension among women with PCOS. Material and methods Retrospective analysis of medical records of 213 women, age 17-42 (mean 25 ± 6 years). Results Twenty-two women (10%) in examined group suffered from hypertension. The incidence of elevated blood pressure was higher among women with insulin resistance (p = 0.006). Prevalence odds ratio (OR) of arterial hypertension in the group with hyperprolactinaemia was 0.15 (confidence interval [CI] 0.06-0.37) and in the group with insulin resistance (OR) 1.05 (CI 0.61-1.83). Conclusion The prevalence of hypertension among women with PCOS is higher when compared with healthy women at the same age. Thus, due to the young age of enrolled patients, it seems reasonable to recommend extension of the diagnostics of PCOS with blood pressure assessment. key words: hypertension, polycystic ovary syndrome, cardiovascular disease